


Pump + CGM

by Imcalledzorro



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Diabetes, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Type 1 diabetic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-03-08 21:26:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18902953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imcalledzorro/pseuds/Imcalledzorro
Summary: Jack and the team have noticed that something is up with MacGyver. What is it, and how will it affect Mac and the team?





	1. chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is un betaed by anyone other than me, and for that I apologize (If you want to beta read this and maybe some other MacGyver fics (or an upcoming Mac/Stargate crossover!!) please shoot me a PM!). With that said I do not own MacGyver (too bad, lol) or any of the recognizable characters in this story. I hope you enjoy, if you do feel free to leave a review. Reviews are love!

“Hey Jack, when I say run, you start running ok?” Angus MacGyver and his partner Jack Dalton were on a mission for the Phoenix Foundation to retrieve some files from a dusty warehouse that a domestic terrorist organization had been using for a storage facility. Neither one had been expecting a bomb with less than ten minutes on the timer to be waiting, Mac figured it was there to take care of the very files they had been sent to retrieve.

Jack glanced nervously back at Mac, “So are you trying to tell me that you can’t get that thing not to blow up?”

Mac stood up, and calmly stated, “That’s exactly what I’m saying. The fuse is …” He stopped knowing that Jack wouldn’t understand. “Just get going, I’m going to grab that file, and I’ll be right behind you.”

Jack wanted to argue, but they didn’t have the time and MacGyver was the faster runner, as much as it pained him to admit. So he took off for the exit door, soon enough he heard Mac fall in a couple of feet behind him. He had just taken cover behind the SUV they were driving when the bomb when off. It picked Mac, who had just gotten clear of the door, off of his feet and body slammed him into the side of the vehicle.

Jack could hear him groaning as he approached. “You ok there Bud?”

Mac, who was laying flat on his back, legs akimbo, squinted up at Jack, “Yeah, I think so. I’m going to be sore in the morning, but…” He moaned as he rolled over on his right side pulling several files out of the back of his pants, “I got the files.”

Jack grabbed the files with his left hand and with his right helped his partner up. “These might make Matty happier about the damage your body did to the fleet SUV.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Ahhhhhh-chooooo” Mac let out a huge sneeze. Bozer handed his friend another tissue. They were in the War room waiting for a briefing, and Mac had been huddled at the end of the couch ever since they had gotten in there.

Jack walked in right as Mac blew his nose. “Ewwwwww. Stay away from me, Hoss. I don’t want none of that!” He gestured wildly in Mac’s direction.

Riley and Matty soon followed. Upon seeing Mac huddled Matty narrowed her eyes and fixed her glare on Mac. “What are you doing here?”

Mac looked confused, “Working? Don’t we have a briefing?” He blew his nose again, then pulled out a small tube of chapstick and applied it to his nose.

“You’re obviously sick Blondie, go home! Eat some soup, get some sleep, and come back when you won’t contaminate everybody. “ Matty pointed at the door to emphasize her point.

“I’m not that sick! It’s only a rhinovirus. I’ve completed missions feeling much worse.” The last part was said on a whine.

“Thorton really didn’t care did she? Well, I do care.” She motioned to Bozer. “Grab your roomie, and make sure he convalesces properly. Even if you have to duct tape him to the bed!” Matty gave Bozer the stink eye, until he started moving towards Mac.

Mac decided to give it one last shot, “I’ll go to medical to get cleared, if they say I can go then can I?”

Jack was shaking his head, knowing that arguing with Matty was a bad idea. “NO, now get your scrawny butt moving!”

Bozer stood in front of Mac with his arm extended to help Mac up. Mac angrily shoved up and stormed out coughing all the way.

~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mac was laying on the floor of his living room once again working on what one day will be his motorcycle. While Jack was sprawled out on the couch looking through all his dating profile matches.

“How about this chick named Cyndi? She likes long walks on the beach, and candle light dinners.” Jack asked

“Does she spell it with an I or y?” Mac questioned as he tightened a nut.

Jack scrolled back up, “C-Y-N-D-I” he spelled. He looked up quizzical, “Why does that mean something?”

Mac laughed, “No it doesn’t. I was just messing with you. Hey, would you mind getting me another bottle of water?”

Jack frowned at his young friend, “It’s that like the fifth one that you’ve had in the past hour or so?”

Mac shrugged, “Maybe? I haven’t been keeping track.” The screw he was threading was being a tricky little fellow, and his thirst was becoming more of a distraction. He wasn’t concerned with his water consumption.

Jack sighed, got up, and grabbed another bottle out of the fridge, he also found that half of a sub he had left a couple of days ago, and grabbed it for a snack. He handed Mac his water and sat back down on the couch. This time without his phone, instead he concentrated on his partner. Mac chugged the bottle of water back in no time, he was also occasionally rubbing his eyes. Maybe the kid hadn’t completely gotten over that cold he had back a few weeks ago.   He made a mental note to talk to Bozer about it. Sighing he pick up his phone and continued his quest to find Mrs. Dalton.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bozer was glad that is was Friday night. That was his and Mac’s, and sometimes Jack’s chill night. He would whip up something easy to eat in front of the TV, and they would stream something on Netflix while unwinding from another busy week. Well, they would do that when they were at home, which they were thankfully. Mac got back from his bathroom run, and Bozer hit play on _Weird Wonders of the World_.

Bozer took several more bites of his carefully constructed nachos. Each layer had an even distribution of meat, cheeses, both nacho and shredded, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, and a lime crema. Each bite was an explosion of flavors, and Bozer savored every bite. He noticed that Mac had started squirming, again. Bozer mentally rolled his eyes. Mac never did stay still, like ever. Even when they were kids, and would have a sleep over Mac would toss and turn so much that Bozer would never sleep next to him. But this was his ‘I’m so engrossed in what I’m doing that I don’t realize that I need to go to the bathroom’ wiggle. Bozer sighed and paused the movie.

Instantly Ma’sc attention swung to Bozer, “What did you do that for?” Then it must have hit him because he grimaced before stating. “Sorry, I’ll be right back.” With that Mac hurried off to his bathroom.

Bozer sighed, he was starting to worry about Mac, he had noticed lately that Mac had to use the bathroom more frequently. Mac quickly came back and Bozer started the movie once again. This happened two more times before the movie ended. But by the end Bozer wasn’t paying attention, he was more worried about what could be wrong with his friend. _Maybe he had a bladder infection? That was probably it_! He thought. One of his co-workers at the restaurant used to get them all the time, well she complained about getting them all the time. And knowing Mac he wouldn’t want to tell Bozer everything, including if he had an infection of his bladder. Now that he had solved that riddle his mind wondered to other things.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Just one more minute!” Mac muttered to Riley

Riley looked anxiously around them, “We don’t have another minute Mac. We’ve got to go NOW!”

Riley turned to where Mac was supposed to be setting up an explosion to take out the weapons catch they had found that belonged to one of the drug cartels. He was hunched over his assembled ingredients, but he kept on rubbing his eyes like there was something in them. Riley also noticed that his hands had a slight tremble, which never happened to Mac. The guy was rock solid; one had to be to be EOD. She saw movement outside of the little barn that they were in. “That minute is up, we’ve got to get going now!”

Mac sighed, “I’ve just about got it done.”

“You’ve got about thirty seconds, then we are leaving, wither you are done or not. I for one don’t want to be caught and ‘interrogated’ by the cartel.” She glanced out the window again, and this time didn’t see anybody. It was time to go. Thankfully Mac seemed to be done. They made sure the coast was clear, and then ran for the woods nearby. They had almost made it to the tree line when Mac’s bomb went off flattening both agents. Riley mostly caught herself, but Mac wasn’t as lucky, he bashed his head on a rock leaving a decent sized gash that started pouring blood.

Riley looked at him quizzically, “Why did you set it to go off so quickly?” Usually it timed it so that it covered their ex-fil, not alerted the enemy.

Mac stammered, “I did.. .I thought…” He stopped and rubbed his head, smearing some of the blood. Riley jumped up hearing the cartel soldiers coming; she was very worried about her blonde friend, but even more worried that they wouldn’t make it to the ex-fil point in time.

After Mac pushed himself up Riley grabbed his arm to steady him and they both ran for ex-fil where Jack was waiting for them with a helicopter. Riley could hear the cartel’s soldier right behind them, and a few bullets whizzed by. Mac stumbled a couple of times, but Riley kept him up and moving. They finally burst into the clearing. Riley bodily shoved Mac into the helicopter, and jumped in herself. Jack smoothly lifted off, leaving the cartel in their rearview.

Once Riley caught her breath she slipped on the headphones, noticing that Mac was just staring out the window in the back not bothering to don the headphones in the back for him. Jack’s voice come over the headphones, “What the heck just happened?” Riley could hear the worry in his voice.

Riley just shook her head. “I have no idea.”

The rest of the ride back to the Phoenix went just as quietly. As soon as they touched down Mac was out of the helicopter before Riley or Jack could even take their headphones off. After disembarking they walked into the Phoenix together. “OK, what is up with Mac lately?” Jack questioned.

Riley shrugged, “I don’t know, but we almost got caught back there. He kept on rubbing his eyes, and I noticed his hands trembling, and he timed the explosion wrong. When have you ever know that to happen?”

Jack frown worriedly, “Never, also when have you ever know MacGyver’s hands to shake?”

“Never, and that’s what’s concerning me.” Riley thought for a second hesitating to even bring it up, but knew that Jack would be the perfect person to run it by. “Should I go to Matty with this? I don’t want to get him in trouble, but if something is physically wrong I want him to get help.”

Jack stopped walking seeming to give it the thought something seriously like that required. “What we’re going to do is, I’m dragging Mac’s skinny ass to the infirmary to get him checked out, and get that forehead sown back together. If they don’t find anything, then I’ll let you know and we can go to Matty together. As much as I hate to say it, but if Mac’s not up to par, then it is best for him to stay here. My job is to protect him whether he wants it or not.” Riley nodded, and Jack went off in search of Mac.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always I don't own this. A huge thanks to everybody who took a second to leave a review or to follow this story. It was much appreciated! Also a shout out to Snowecat for taking the time to look this over!

Jack found Mac sitting in the men’s locker rooms just staring off into space, the blood from the forehead cut dried down his face in a grisly fashion. “Hey Mac.” Jack tried to rouse him, but Mac continued to stare straight ahead.

“We need to go get that cut looked at. If someone came in right now, they would think you were an extra on ‘ _The Walking Dead’_ instead of a highly trained agent.”

“I messed up.” Mac’s voice came out as a mere whisper. “I almost got Riley killed, I couldn’t get the bomb together, my eyes wouldn’t focus or something, and ….” He trailed off. “I know you both have to be mad at me right now.” Mac still hadn’t moved, so Jack joined him on the bench that served as seating, and placed his left arm over MacGyver’s shoulders.

“We’re not mad at you, but we are both concerned about whatever’s going on with you. You and I are about to head to Medical, and get you examined head to toe. Maybe you just need a powerbar, and a pair of glasses. We’ve had mission after mission here lately.” A thought struck Jack, “I’ll tell you what, I’m going to ask Boss Lady to take us off the roster for a few weeks, so we can sort out whatever is going on with you. Is that ok?”

Mac nodded, and finally made eye contact with Jack. He really did look like an extra on _The Walking Dead_ with all that blood. “I’m sorry.” He muttered.

“Hey, don’t be sorry; let’s go see what Medical has to tell us.” With that Jack hauled Mac up and they started towards Medical.

Mac was still quiet enough to worry Jack, but he went willingly enough, which worried Jack even more. Usually he had to threaten Mac to get him to voluntarily walk into Medical. When they arrived the team’s favorite nurse was hunched over something on the front desk. Hearing them walk in he looked up; Jack saw his expression go from ‘how are you doing’ to ‘holy crap, that’s bad’ in point two seconds flat.

“If you want to head back to exam three, I’ll go get Dr. Feltman.” With that Justin scurried off. Mac and Jack made their way to the exam room, with Jack ordering Mac to get on the exam table. Then they sat there in silence, Jack tried to think of something to get Mac out of his thoughts, but everything sounded dumb even to him. Thankfully Dr. Feltman came in quickly.

“Oh my, Justin did say you had quite the laceration. How did this one happen?” Jack liked Feltman’s technique; he liked to get the patient talking, and then would do all the poking and prodding. Sure enough he held true to form and was examining the cut when Justin came in with a try full of supplies.

Dr. Feltman stepped back so he could look MacGyver in the face as he told him the treatment plan, “So I’m going to have Justin put a few shots of lidocaine in to deaden it up, and while we wait for that to get nice and numb, he’ll clean off some of that gore. I’m thinking it’s going to need about eight or so stitches. I’m also going to recommend you do a small course of antibiotics to make sure that infection doesn’t set in. “

Mac started shaking his head, “I don’t want to take antibiotics unless absolutely necessary, there was a study done on the effectiveness…”

Dr. Feltman held up his hands to cut Mac off, “You don’t have to tell me, just keep some antibiotic cream on it then ok?” Mac nodded.

“Hey Mac, while they are getting that done, why don’t you tell them about the other problems you’ve been having.” Jack prompted. He knew if he didn’t nudge Mac in the right direction, his young charge most likely wouldn’t say anything at all.   Mac’s shoulders visibly dropped in defeat and Jack’s heart broke all the more.

So while Justin numbed the area and cleaned Mac’s face off, Mac told the doctor what all had been going on. “So I’ve noticed in the past few weeks that I’ve been really thirsty, getting headaches, sometimes my vision gets blurry, and lately my hand trembles sometimes.”

Dr. Feltman thought about the symptoms for a minute, “Have you been eating regularly.”

Jack had to stifle a laugh, and it was worth it to see the glare that Mac tried to send his way. “Not really, I sometimes forget to eat.”

Dr. Feltman nodded, “And also didn’t you have the rhinovirus recently.” Mac nodded. “I think if you eat more regularly scheduled meals that would help tremendously, but to be on the safe side we’ll give you a thorough check-up. Do you want me to do a blood draw and run a CBC?”

Mac thought for a second, “Not right now.”

Dr. Feltman nodded, “All right, so one full check up, and a stitch up job coming right up.” That finally got Mac to smile, and Jack hoped they were on the right track. Jack decided to distract himself with his phone and got lost in a game that he was playing until Mac physically hit him in the arm. Jack looked up puzzled. “You’re done already?”

Mac smiled, which was a vast improvement over his previous demeanor. “Yes and Dr. Feltman said I was perfectly healthy, except for this nice laceration. He recommended I get some more rest and to eat three square meals a day and see how I feel in a week. I uh...” Mac suddenly looked hesitant. “I texted Matty and asked her to let me do lab work for the next week until I’m feeling better. I don’t want a repeat of today or worse.”

Jack smiled up at his friend, “I’m proud of you. Now, let’s go get us some grub!”

 

_Three days later_

Jack and Bozer were standing beside Riley at her computer in the operations center. “So why are you up here Bozer? I know Jack’s trying to duck doing paperwork, but what’s your excuse?”

Bozer sighed, and tried to find a seat to sit down in, but most of the chairs were occupied with techs working at their own computer stations. “It’s Mac. He’s just bumming me out. He is so mopey and slow. I thought since Doc gave him a clean bill of heath things would go back to normal, but they haven’t and he is just moping all over the place. I couldn’t stand it, and decided to come here and …”

Riley arched an eyebrow, “And what Bozer?”

Bozer shrugged. Riley grabbed her pen and a pad of paper from her work station. “Let’s go over the symptoms that Mac has been showing. I noticed that his vision seems to do something, and that his hands will tremble.” She jotted those two symptoms down.

Jack jumped in next, “He is drinking _all_ the time.”

Bozer added, “He also has to pee all the time. Seriously we can’t get through anything on Netflix anymore without me having to pause it several times.”

Riley thought for a minute, “Is it me or does he seem skinner? “ Both men agreed so Riley jotted it down also.

“He has also been taking naps.” Bozer added. “I’ve caught him out on the deck passed out several times lately.”

Riley added tired to her list. “So I’ve got that he has vision problems, trembling hands, thirsty all the time, pees a lot, lost weight, and is tired often.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but I think I know what the problem is.” Came a voice from behind Riley. It was Rose Ayers, the tech who worked beside Riley when she was in the ops center. Riley pushed her chair back so that Rose could pull hers forward to join the others.

“Were ya‘ll talking about Agent MacGyver?” The three of them nodded their heads in tandem. “From the symptoms that you just described it sounds like he might have diabetes.”

“Diabetes?!” Bozer exclaimed. “I thought that was something that only fat old people got?”

Rose chuckled, “Well my brother was diagnosed at seven, so no it’s not. There are actually two different types and only one is associated with weight gain.”

“So you think that Mac might be a diabetic?” Jack asked rolling the idea around in his head. “How would you check for that?”

“Truthfully, I’m not sure. But checking his blood glucose level would be a good starting point.” Rose informed them.

Jack frowned, “It that something that the docs can do here?”

Rose laughed, “Sorry, yes. You can check your blood anywhere with a glucose meter; they’re quite small and available at most drugstores.”

Jack nodded and turned to leave. He then turned back around, “Thank you.”

Rose shook her head, “No problem, if ya’ll need any more information just let me know.” She then shoved back to her desk while Jack left to go drag Mac down to Medical to see if they had found the problem.

He found Mac still in the lab; he was sitting in front of the computer, but didn’t seem to be paying any attention to what was on the screen. Jack walked over, placed his hand on Mac’s shoulder, “Come on.”

Mac looked at him quizzically, “Where are we going?”

Jack took a step back, and motioned for Mac to follow him. Mac reluctantly stood up, took off his lab coat, hung it up, and followed Jack out of the lab. He seemed to sense that something was up once they got on the elevator. Upon exiting the level that Medical was located on Jack grasped Mac’s upper arm and steered him into the area.

Mac didn’t try to pull away, but he wasn’t going willingly at that point, “Come on Jack. We’ve been here once already, the Doc said that as long as I get adequate sleep, and eat regularly I should be fine.”

Jack didn’t slow down. “But you haven’t and now I think I might know why.” Pushing through the doors Jack greeted the nurse staffing the admittance desk. “Hey Sabine, is three open?”

Jack didn’t really give her a chance to answer, so she called after him, “Go right in. I’ll page Dr. Feltman.” Jack marched Mac right to the same exam table he had been in several days ago. Mac obediently hopped up on the table.

“So are you going to give me a clue as to why you kidnapped and force marched me in here?”

Jack could detect only a tiny bit of Mac’s usual biting wit, mostly the kid just seemed tired, and that concerned Jack the most. Thankfully Dr. Feltman chose that time to enter, so Jack wouldn’t have to answer Mac, and give the boy time to freak himself out.

“So what can I do for the two of you guys today? I didn’t usually see you this close together.” Dr. Feltman stood shifting his gaze between Mac and Jack not knowing which one instigated the visit.

“Can you check his...” Jack trailed off trying to remember what Rose had called it. His snapped his fingers, “His blood glucose levels?”

Dr. Feltman frowned at Jack, “Why should I need to?”

Jack sighed, why people couldn’t just do what he asked, “Humor me please.”

Dr. Feltman looked at MacGyver who just shrugged. “OK, why not. Give me a second to grab a kit.” He exited the room.

Mac turned to Jack, “What is going on?”

Jack didn’t say anything he just stared back. Then Doc was back with a small black case, and unzipped it. First he handed Mac a alcohol pad, “Could please clean off a finger for me to prick.” Mac took the wipe and did as instructed. Meanwhile the doctor pulled a small object from a cylinder, “This is a test strip, I’m going to poke your finger with this.” He held up another object that the thin and long. “Lancet and after inserting the test trip into the meter here, I’ll touch the blood and in five seconds it will tell me what your sugar is.”

Jack frowned, “I thought we were testing his blood glucose level?”

Mac chuckled, “Glucose and sugar is the same thing.”

“Ok.” The doc drew blood and touched the end of Mac’s finger to the test strip, and in five seconds they had the reading, “586.” Jack read out loud. “Is that good or bad?”

Dr. Feltman whipped the rest of the blood off the tip of Mac’s finger tip. “It’s most concerning. I would expect a reading to be between 80 and 120 if he’s eaten in the last few hours. So for it to be that high is not good at all.”

Mac looked shell shocked, “Does this mean that I am a Diabetic?”

Dr. Feltman sighed, “We will need more testing to determine that, but most likely yes. What I’m going to do is refer you over to the hospital. I’ll call them and let them know that you will be coming over. They will do the extra testing to let you know definitively whether or not it’s diabetes, and which type it is.”

“There’s more than one type!” Jack yelped. “It is like with cancer the worse it is the higher the stage.”

“No. There are only two types, and which type determines the treatment plan. Save the rest of your questions for the doctors at the hospital, they will know more about it than I do ok?” Jack and Mac both nodded. “I’m assuming that Jack is going to drive you over?” They both looked at Jack who nodded. “If you want to get going, I’ll call over there and let them know.”

This time there was no leading Mac, he just followed Jack like an overgrown puppy, and far too soon they pulled into the hospital’s parking lot.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always I don't own this. A huge thanks to everybody who took a second to leave a review or to follow this story. It was much appreciated! Also a shout out to Snowecat for taking the time to look this over

_Chapter 3_

As he unbuckled his seat belt Mac was trying to think of ways to get out of going into the hospital, but each scenario ended with Jack still dragging him into the ER.’ _Oh well, better straighten up and face this like the grown adult that I am’_ , he thought. So he strode purposefully to the entrance, with Jack hot on his heels, where the receptionist greeted them.

“Hey Mac, Jack! It’s been what a couple of months?” Mac thought her name might be Suzy, so he just nodded.’ _Is it bad that even the receptionist recognizes us? Maybe I’m up to my second free kidney by now or if I truly have diabetes then I would need a pancreas.’_ He was jostled out of his thoughts when Jack elbowed him.

Suzy smiled, and repeated what she had said. “You can come on back; Dr. Feltman called earlier, so we’ve got the red carpet rolled out for our favorite patient!” The last part was delivered with a laugh.

Jack clutched his heart, “What? I thought I was your favorite patient!” He put on his best sad face making Suzy giggle.

She leaned closer to the glass cage around her desk, and Jack in turn also leaned in, “I didn’t want to upset Mac, but you know that you’re my absolute favorite.”

Mac ignored both of them and made his way to the door that led into the exam rooms. Upon his approach the doors slid open revealing a nurse who was familiar to Mac.

“Admit it you’ve missed me.” Nurse Anna grinned and held her arms open. He would never admit it, but she was his favorite nurse. She had a straightforward approach that he appreciated, plus her wicked since of humor didn’t hurt either. Mac was pretty sure Jack would walk across a bed of hot coals if she asked him to. When she didn’t get a reaction from Mac she dropped her arms, then frowned. “Where’s your shadow?”

Mac was about to say flirting with Suzy, but Jack decided to show at that exact minute with a huge, “Miss me, sugar plum?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe, Shnookums! Now we better quit or Mac here will get jealous.”

Mac rolled his eyes; he knew what was coming next. Anna escorted them to an exam room. “Go ahead put the gown on, I got the one that really brings out the blue in your eyes.” She winked at him. “Then we’ll get an IV going, and I’ll personally escort you upstairs to your room. I’ve made sure it was the best one in the building, that’s how much I care.” Mac tried his hardest not to give anything away, but could feel a smirk slip out.

“Then my lucky friend, we get to do some testing! I know how much you love medical tests, so please don’t exit the building before we tell you that you can, alright?” He may have escaped a time or two when he had deemed himself ready to go, but the doctors wouldn’t let him leave quite yet.

He held up his hand with the three middle fingers pointing up and the thumb and pinkie tucked, like a Scout would, “I swear I won’t leave until you say I can.”

She sent him a glare, “You told me you quit the Boy Scouts.” He shrugged. She rolled her eyes, “I’m going to keep you to that then. I’ll step out to give ya’ll some privacy.” She winked at him, “Or if you want I can stay?”

Mac laughed, and she waltzed out the door, but it was all feeling much too real for Mac so he did what he always did when he was nervous. Went on auto-pilot and started doing math in his head. Math didn’t change; it was always constant, always dependable, unlike his traitorous body, he thought bitterly. He changed, and hopped up on the bed before he realized that Jack was giving him that ‘I’m worried about you Bud’ look he got

“I’ll be fine Jack.”

“Are you convincing me or yourself of that?”

Mac gave it a quick thought and then asked, “Both?”

Jack walked over and placed his hand on Mac’s shoulder, “It will be all right. Weather it is diabetes or something else, I’ll be there the whole way.”

Mac decided to try a shot at levity, “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” He then shot Jack a huge smile.

Jack gave a small laugh, “Hardy harhar.”

Anna stuck her had back in, “I hope I caught you indecent?”

Jack answered, “Sorry, everybody in here is all covered up.”

Anna came fully into the room. “Normally, someone else would escort you up to your room, but you are such a VIP that I got assigned the task of hauling your heavy butt up to your penthouse suite. So let’s get that IV going then we’ll be on our way!”

She sat down the supplies she had brought on a tray and looked at Mac, “I’m good but even I can’t start an IV on someone who is sitting crossed legged in the middle of the bed with their arms crossed.”

Mac hated lying back in the bed; it made him feel even more vulnerable, so with a mental protest he laid down presenting his arms.

“Now was that so hard?”

“Yes.”

Anna barked a laugh, “Hold still handsome, it’ll be over before you know it.” Before she tied the tourniquet, and got the needle inserted she asked, “Hey Jack, would you be a dear, and grab Mac a blanket out of that far right cabinet on the left? His skinny little chicken legs look cold.”

Mac knew she was trying to bait him with that chicken leg dig, but he wasn’t feeling up to his usual repartee. She quickly got the IV going in his right arm, and Jack draped the blanket over him.

Disposing of the needle and removing her gloves, Anna stepped back into Mac’s field of vision. “Ready for your ride?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer as she unlocked the wheels of the bed and maneuvered it out of the room, up the elevator, and into a patient room. “Home sweet, home!” Anna sang out as she parked his bed in the nice room, _well nice for a hospital_ , Mac thought. He sent a glare her way.

“Geez dang, sorry! Room sweet room. That better your highness?” Anna said with a slight bow. Jack bit out a laugh.

“So now that you’ve got me deep in enemy territory, what are the next steps?” Mac asked not wanting to think about it, but wanting to be prepared.

Jack joined Mac at the head of his bed, which he had elevated even before they left the ER. Anna had a seat at the foot of the bed. “In a few minutes a phlebotomist is going to come in and draw some blood. We will be running two different tests on it, C-peptide and GADA. If you have don’t have C-peptides present in your blood that means that your beta cells are no longer producing insulin. The GADA will back up the first test and determine if you have type 1 or 2. After we have a diagnosis we will then reconvene, and go from there. Any questions?”

“So what’s the difference between type 1 and type 2?” Jack asked. “I asked a Dr. Feltman if it was like stages of cancer, and he just laughed.”

Anna grinned, “No it’s not like stages of cancer. If you are a Type 1 diabetic your pancreas has quit producing insulin, so you have to take daily injections of insulin to counter high blood sugars. It’s commonly called juvenile diabetes, because mostly children are diagnosed with Type 1. People with type 2 diabetes pancreases’ usually work in a limited capacity. It can usually be controlled with diet and exercise, but most patients will eventually go on medicine that will help keep their blood sugar lower. It’s commonly seen in obese and elderly patients.”

Jack nodded as he took the information in. Mac asked the next question, “What causes diabetes?”

Anna sighed, “That’s harder to answer. For Type 2 there is a strong genetic link, as well as lifestyle and physical habits that all play a part in it. But as for Type 1, there have been many suggestions, such as impact injury or having a virus that might kill the beta cells. Truthfully we really don’t know.”

When Anna mentioned impact injury and virus, he thought back to getting blown-up a couple of months ago, and that virus he had gotten a few weeks ago, could either one of them be the culprit to what was possibly killing his beta cells? A knock came from the door; it opened revealing a gentleman pushing a cart filled with blood collecting instruments.

Anna called out a greeting, “Hey Dean!” She then got off the bed and walked to the newcomer. “Dean, this is Mr. MacGyver.” In a stage whisper she added, “He likes to be called Mac.” Then addressing Mac she introduced the phlebotomist. “This is Dean he is our resident vampire.”

Dean smiled a disarming smile, “I only take one vial of blood for personal use, the rest I take to the lab, and I never feed directly from the patient. I would ask which arm your prefer, but I can see that your right arm is a little inconvenienced right now.” He moved his cart to Mac’s left side, pulled out the stool and sat down looking at Mac’s arm. “Is there a spot that works the best?” All three pointed to the exact some place in the bend of Mac’s left arm. “OK, that’s where I’ll try.” Sure enough he got it in one stick, and filled up six vials. He then slid the needle back out, wrote on the vials, and bandaged it with a band-aid. “And that’s all she wrote.” Then he was gone.

Anna shook her head, “He’s good! Well, I’ve got a few other VIP’s to go bug, but none are as special as you! I’ll be back later to check in on you.”

As soon as the door closed Jack quickly took up residence on the rolling stool, he opened his mouth.

“No, Jack.”

“I didn’t even say anything!” He protested.

“You were about to ask if I thought if Dean could really be a vampire.” Mac fixed his a look. Jack only shrugged. So Mac went on, “There are no such things as vampires, and I very seriously doubt that one works at a hospital as a phlebotomist, much less goes and announces it.”

“You might have a good point, but wouldn’t it be the best cover?” The conversation went from there, and before they realized it time had passed. A knock came from the door; Before Mac had a chance to say come in the door was already opening to reveal Riley and Bozer. The two come in the spacious room, and stand nervously at the end of Mac’s bed.

Riley was the first to speak, “So have you guys found anything out yet?”

Mac held up the arm they had used to draw blood, “They took some blood and are running some tests on it right now.”

Jack spun around on his stool, “The guy who drew Mac’s blood is a vampire.”

Mac rolled his eyes, “Dean is not a vampire! Vampires are not real.”

Bozer grabbed one of the seats that was against the wall, and dragged it over to where Jack was sitting, “Tell me more! Have I ever told you about the time I escaped from the clutches of a vampire?”

Riley made herself comfortable at the end of Mac’s bed. “I wonder how long those two can keep up that conversation.”

Mac looked over and Bozer was in the middle of his story with one hand in the air demonstrating something, while Jack watched with rapt attention. “With them two, who knows? It sometimes shocks me that someone gave those two Secret Agent badges.”

Riley laughed, “Well we don’t actually have badges…” They both laughed. “Somebody should ask Matty if there was any way we could get badges.”

Mac grinned, “Oh Jack asked Thornton once, she just glared at him icily and told him that if he needed a badge to get information out of someone then he didn’t need to be a agent.”

“That’s cold!’

Mac was about to reply, but a knock at the door interrupted him. “Come on in.”

Anna slipped in, a smile appearing on her face when she saw Riley and Bozer in the room, “Hey Boz! Riles, we still on for drinks this weekend?”

Riley nodded and fist bumped the nurse, “You know it! A couple more of the Phoenix ladies might join us.”

“The more the merrier! So Mac I’ve got your test results here, she held up the tablet she was holding.” The room fell silent, and all eyes turned to her. “You do have diabetes, it’s Type 1.”

Mac didn’t know how to feel. He had an answer to why he had been feeling bad for months so he should be relieved, but on the other hand he had been given a diagnosis of a disease that he would have to live with all of his life; a disease that, unless treated correctly could very easily kill him.

“I’m going to start you on an insulin drip to get that blood sugar down to a normal level, so physically you should start feeling better soon. Then we will have our diabetic educator come by and educate ya’ll in the ways of diabetes. There will be a lot of information coming at you fast, but don’t worry they really like giving out paperwork to accompany all the information. You with me so far, Mac?”

He started to nod, but he wanted to know something first. “So this is the reason behind all of my symptoms.”

Anna frowned, “Well what symptoms did you exhibit?”

“I’ve been thirsty all the time, I need to pee all the time, but I figured that was because of the increased water intake. Sometimes I’m grouchy when I don’t mean to be, I’ve lost some weight. Blurred vision, and sometimes my hands have trembled.”

Anna started nodding, “Yes, all of those are symptoms of diabetes. Especially the increased thirst and urination. Fun Story that is how my sister in law diagnosed her former boss with diabetes. Her boss had a Route 44 from Sonic and said that she was still thirsty. So my SIL made her check her blood, it was so high it wouldn’t register on the meter.” She stopped herself. “Sorry, you know how I ramble. Any other questions right now?”

“Not right now.” Mac said.

“I know you will later! Anyways, You are in the early stages of diabetic ketoacidosis also known as DKA.” Mac started to ask what exactly that meant, but as usually Anna was ready with the information. “DKA results from a shortage of insulin; in response the body switches to burning fatty acids which produces acidic ketone bodies, if your blood glucose levels stay too high long enough your blood gets acidic and will kill you. So take your insulin.”

“Wait a second this could kill Mac?” Jack looked shocked and worried.

“If his blood sugar stays high enough for long enough, yes it can. BUT I’m not worried, Mac is smart and has ya’ll to help him out.” Mac was grateful that Anna knew how to soothe a frightened Jack Dalton.

“I have a question, if Mac’s been a diabetic for a while now, then why isn’t his blood all acidy?” Bozer asked.

“Well he is probably in what is called the honeymoon phase, where a diabetic’s pancreas will try to produce insulin, but it often does it in insufficient amounts. The Diabetic Educator will go over all this in much more detail. Let me get this drip going, and supper should be around soon. Do ya’ll want me to see if I can get ya’ll trays, or are ya’ll going to do the usual?” The usual was a trip to Chick-fil-et to get a massive amount of fries and nuggets. While Anna wait for an answer she walked over to Mac’s IV and pulled a small bag labeled insulin and got that hooked up into his IV pump. “This should start helping with those symptoms, and don’t think I haven’t noticed you chugging that water.”

Anna turned to the other three, “So on those trays?”

Bozer spoke up, “I’m going to grab the nuggets, want your usual?”

Anna grinned, “You know it! I’ll bring you the money later.”

Anna started to leave, but Bozer called out, “Can Mac have nuggets? Like what can he eat and not eat?”

Anna turned back around, “Nuggets should be fine, but no fries. A salad is fine, but no dressing. I’m going to hunt down the Diabetic Educator and have her come talk to ya’ll tonight!” This time she left uninterrupted.

Mac laid his head back against the bed, and raked his hand through his hair. He was already feeling marginally better, so the insulin must be working. He closed his eyes listening to his friends talk about how many nuggets that they thought Jack could eat. He must have been more tired that he thought, because he awoke to Jack shaking him and a new lady walking into the room.

“Hi! My name is Robyn and I will be your Diabetic Educator. How are you doing? I know it’s a lot to process!” She stood at the end of the bed staring expectantly at MacGyver.

“I’m doing ok? “ Mac answered hesitantly.

“Good! That is great to hear.” Her chipper voice was starting to give him a headache, or maybe he was just grouchy, he didn’t know anymore. She glanced at his chart on her tablet. “Is it alright if I call you Angus, Mr. MacGyver?”

“I would prefer if you would call me Mac, actually.” He sat up a little straighter, with Jack’s help.

“I’d be glad to Angus. So is this your dad?” She pointed to Jack. She didn’t give Mac a chance to answer before she turned to Riley and Bozer who were busy eating the nuggets that had obviously been brought in while he was sleeping. They had dragged their chairs back to the wall and used a third chair as a makeshift table. “And who might ya’ll be?”

Under his breath Bozer muttered, “Jack only thinks’ he’s Mac’s dad.” To which Jack threw him a glare.

Mac answered her, “They are my co-workers as well as my friends.”

“Oh,” She said, the disdain dripping from her voice. “We actually prefer for family members only to be here for the patient while we relay all this vital information. They will need to be able to take care of Angus here in case of an emergency.”

Mac was quickly losing his cool with this lady. Thinking quickly, he announced “I need to run to the bathroom real quick if that isn’t a problem?” He didn’t wait for an answer, instead his covertly grabbed his phone, and with a little help from Jack with his IV, he quickly made his way to the bathroom where he surprisingly, well not surprising considering all the water he had drank, and the IV he was on, had to actually use it. He sat down to conduct his business, so he could have his hands free to send out a SOS signal to Anna. After his third visit to the hospital, she had given him her personal cell in case he ever needed medical help. He was slowly washing his hands when an answering text came though. ‘On my way.’ Good, all he needed to do would be to stall, and he was good at that. So he slowly inched his way back to the bed, he could see his friends worried faces, and gave them a sly wink. He had just gotten situated in bed, and Robyn had opened her mouth to say something with the door flew open.

“Oh good! I’m so glad to have found you!” Anna said in a rush. “Dr. Goldstein is up to his neck with a patient and could use your help.”

Robyn frowned, “What about Angus? We haven’t had a chance to go over anything. “

Anna acted like she was thinking, “How about I go head and tell Mac all about diabetes, while you help Dr. Goldstein” Mac liked how she emphasized his name.

Robyn frown deepened, “You are not a registered diabetic educator.”

Anna nodded, “You’re right I’m not, but I have been married to one for the past 14 years, so I think I might be qualified.”

The pager at Robyn’s waist beeped. After looking at it she said, “Fine you take this one, it will be one less person I have to make time for.” Then she stormed out of the room.

Anna waited till the door had closed before speaking. “Sorry, she’s new and I didn’t know how big of an ass she was until just now. So I’m going to go grab some supplies, and I’ll be right back, Hey Mac, do you mind if I eat and talk?” She didn’t wait for an answer, but was back within minutes.

Bozer had her order ready when she came back with a folder that had A. MacGyver written on it and a bag that held several items. She laid her items on the rolling table, and eagerly grabbed the bag from Bozer’s hands. “Sorry, I’m starving! Here’s a 10, keep the change.” She quickly stuffed a fry in her mouth, after chewing a bit, she looked at Jack, “I’m going to need your stool.” The two eyed each other for just a second before Jack stood up.

“Anything for you, my queen.” He even bowed.

Anna grinned, “Thank you kind peasant. Your gracious deed will be noted.”

She dragged the stool to the other side of Mac’s bed where the table was, and set her food within easy reach. “OK, so everybody pull in a chair and get comfy, this is diabetes 101. But let me warn you, I am not a diabetic educator; I have just lived with one for 14 years. Also I might forget something, so have patience with me.” She stopped to look around. Mac was back to sitting cross-legged, looking at her while Jack, Riley, and Bozer had all pulled up chairs along Mac’s other side and were paying attention as well. She popped a nugget into her mouth before she continued.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small black case. She laid it on the table and unzipped it. Jack piped up, “We saw that before!”

Anna chuckled, “Do you remember what it is for?

“Checking my blood glucose levels.” Mac quietly said.

Anna nodded and ate another nugget. “So normally people will just shorten it to checking their sugar. Normal blood sugar rates are between 80 –120. Let’s go through how to check your blood. She opened it up, and held up a long thin instrument. “This is a lancet”, she took the top off to show a drum inside. “Inside here are tiny needles that will prick your finger. Well most people use their finger; some use their arms, because it has less nerve endings.” She put the cap back on and pulled back on the control on the side, and handed it to Mac. “I just activated one of the needles, press it to your finger firmly, and press the button. It can be less painful if you use the side of your finger.” Mac started to press it against his finger. “Wait a second.” Mac set the lancet down. Anna picked up the meter and handed it to Mac. “Now the next part is to open the cylinder at the bottom. It contains the glucose strips. Take one out, and insert it in the top of the meter.” Mac did as instructed, and soon the meter beeped to life. “Ok now prick your finger, and put the blood on the tip of the strip.” Mac did as instructed, and Anna handed him an alcohol pad to clean the blood off. When the meter beeped Anna asked, “So what does it say?”

Mac looked at the meter, “242. So that means it’s coming down, but not in normal ranges yet?”

Anna smiled, “Very good! You now have got the hang of checking your blood.” Anna turned to look at the other three, “If he is ever unconscious, you will need to be able to do this. So if ya’ll want to grab the kit and get familiar with it, go ahead.” Turning back to Mac, “So sometimes, you blood sugar will go low, now there are a lot of ways to get it back up. Orange juice and peanut butter crackers are a popular combo.” She smiled. “If you were to see my fridge you would think that I had kids with all the individual orange juice boxes, and crackers I have for when my husband goes low. Anything with carbs will work well, but you want something like juice that will shoot it back up quickly, and something that has a protein to keep it up like the peanut butter.” She stopped for a second and handed the folder to Mac. “So in here is all you need to know about diabetes, if I forget anything, which I’m sure to, it will be covered in here. Knowing you, you will have it read before you go to sleep tonight.” Mac smiled at that one, knowing that it was true.

“So we have covered going low, but if you go really low, you might have to rely on your friends.” She turned so that she could see all four of them. “When a diabetic’s sugar drops dangerously low or too quickly they can become confused or even lose consciousness. If that happens, you need to be prepared to administer aid. So if you find Mac passed out what is the first thing you would do?”

Bozer’s hand shot up. Riley looked at him, “Really Boze?” He just shrugged

Anna laughing at their antics said, “Yes, Bozer.”

Bozer shot a look at Riley, who rolled her eyes. He then turned back to Anna, “Check his blood.”

“Gold star for Mr. Bozer. So the meter tells you that he is dangerously low like in the 30’s and you can’t wake him up, you would use this.” Anna pulled a small hard red box from her bag. “This is a glucagon, it’s a shot that you only need to use when a diabetics sugar drops too low. You simply pull out the syringe, plunge the contents into the vial, swirl the vial until it is all dissolved, load it back into the syringe and jab it into Mac into the arm, butt, or thigh.”

Jack grinned, “You better not pass out on me Bud, ‘cause you _know_ where I’ll plant that sucker.”

“I think that is enough incentive right there to make sure my sugar stays in range.” Mac shuddered.

“After the injection roll the patient into the recovery position, and wait for him to regain consciousness. Once he does, feed him the juice and crackers. So, if you find a very confused or a semi-conscious Mac try to get a glucose gel in him, or some people use icing tubes. I think that covers the low. So highs, there isn’t much you can do to combat going high but to take more insulin and drink water. The water helps flush any toxins that may build up due to high blood sugars. You will be given a scale that will tell you how much insulin to give yourself depending on how high you are.”

Bozer and Jack both snorted laughs at that one. Mac schooled his face, “Nice to know my disease is amusing the both of you!”

They both shut right up, and looked chastised. Mac couldn’t hold it very long and started laughing. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

Bozer shook his head at his best friend, “That’s not nice and you know it!”

While they joked around Anna took those few minutes to finish her food and drink half of the lemonade they had gotten her. “Ok kids, class is back in session. I guess food is our next stop. Carbohydrates are what you need to look out for. Most foods have them, but they are highest in sweet things and bread, and by sweet thing I also mean fruit. That’s why juice is so effective in bringing up lows. Yes, you still can eat everything you used to, but you have to give yourself enough insulin to cover what you eat. Again, the doctor will give you a scale on which to base your carb to insulin ratio on. I’m going to guess it will be something like 10:1. So that would be one unit for every ten carbs you eat. You might want to invest in a carb guide, until you have the hang of it. So I think the very last thing I’m going to cover tonight is treatment options.”

“Treatment options? I thought the only treatment was insulin?” Jack looked truly confused.

Riley spoke up, “I think she means like delivery options. I know in the tech world there have been huge jumps in medical tech.”

Anna pointed at Riley, “Exactly! There are two types of insulin. Well there are several different types, but we will be concentration on long acting and short acting insulin.” She retrieved two different vials, and a syringe from her bag. “You would take the short acting after meals, and the long acting once a day. This is one option. Another option is…” She once again reached into the bag and pulled several devices out. “The insulin pump.” One of the pumps looked like half a boiled egg, and the other was similar to a stack of playing cards. She picked up the egg looking one first. “This is the OmniPod. It is a digital pump, you simply stick it on, and it stays on for three days, then you change it. The upshot for it is the fact that it doesn’t have wires.” She picked up the other pump. “This is a traditional pump.” She held up the end of the translucent cord, “This end is inserted into you and you can also operate this one from your phone or on the pump itself, but it is attached to you. The last option is brand new, just received the thumbs up from the FDA about six months ago, it’s called the artificial pancreas.” Mac really liked the sound of that. “So you would insert a CGM.” She held up a white device about the size and shape of a quarter. “It works like a meter, but automatically checks your blood every five minutes, and you can wear it for around seven days. You would also use a pump. Then the pump and CGM ‘talk’ to each other to determine how much insulin you need on a continuous basis. I know we have covered a lot and it’s getting later, but do you have any questions?”

“So this artificial pancreas thing, that’s not like a robot thing? If they are like talkin’ to each other?” Jack asked. Mac started laughing, while Riley rolled her eyes, and Bozer started muttering under his breath.

“No it’s not anything like a robot. They just send information back and forth to each other.” Anna explained.

“When do I need to decide which treatment method I want to do, and could I change my mind later?” Mac questioned. The artificial pancreas really interested him, but he wanted to know all about it before he committed to one treatment.

“You have till you are discharged, which will be something like three days, and you can always change your mind. My husband has tried all the methods, and is using shots right now because he hates having something attached to his body. It’s whatever you prefer. If you decide to go with a pump, one of their instructors will come by and show you all the ins and outs.”

“I’m not staying here three days.” Mac stated. He was feeling much better and didn’t feel the need to waste their time taking care of him if he wasn’t sick.

Anna gave him the stink eye. “You promised me no Houdining!”

Mac didn’t mean to pout, but he did. He had promised her he wouldn’t escape so he dropped the subject.

“If that’s it, I’ll be on my way.” She stood up and started to put all the supplies back in her bag, the paused and pulled out an orange. “I forgot, here is an orange. You can use this bottle and the syringe, and practice giving the orange shots if you want. Maybe even let the peanut gallery over there have a few rounds.” She then finished up and went on her way.

Mac was on information overload, and he suddenly felt more tired than he had realized. He was only going to close his eyes for a few minutes, then go over the information Anna had left. Within minutes, he was out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it ya'll my last chapter! Thank you to everybody who took the time to leave a review, followed the story, or left kudos it was much appreciated! As always I don't own this. Also a shout out to Snowecat for taking the time to look this over!

_One month later_

Mac was sitting in his type 1 diabetic support group listening to one of the members, Heather drone on and on about how amazing and wonderful Dr. Bernstein’s Keto diet was. It the absolute best for a diabetic, and how she just couldn’t understand why everybody didn’t jump on the bandwagon. Finally another member spoke up, “Wasn’t your sugar up to like 225 several times this week?”

“So?” Heather asked defensively.

“Well if your Dr.B’s method is so superior then your sugar shouldn’t be that high.” Mac thought the other ladies name was Rosie, but he wasn’t sure, the debate seemed endless.

Mac was wondering if maybe Matty would let him skip the rest of his mandatory support group sessions. After he was discharged from the hospital, Matty had a meeting with him about the conditions he would have to meet before he could be a field agent again. Truthfully at that point he was just thankful that Matty hadn’t fired him. Her conditions were that he received counseling or join a diabetic support group for at least two months, prove that he knew how and could to manage his disease, and have a doctor sign off on his progress. Dr. Feltman had even said that he was going to be taking a class in diabetes so that he could better understand the disease. The Phoenix would soon have a new nurse, one of whose qualifications was in endocrinology. Matty had said that Oversight had green-lit the new hire himself.

“How about you Mac?” Mac looked white eyed around the circle; he hated being caught not paying attention.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Mac requested.

The lady in charge, an endocrinologist from the hospital asked the question again. “What are your thoughts on the Keto method? You are our newest member, and one we’ve yet to hear from. I’m curious as to what you think now that you’ve been with us a few weeks.”

Mac also hated being the center of attention in situations like this, “Uh…well…” He could see both Rosie and Heather looking intently at him, and tried not to let that rattle him. _Just think about it like giving one of his lectures to the team, he thought._ “In my opinion it is just another trendy diet that probably does more harm than good. I mean cutting out whole food groups just because they have more carbs is a bit ridiculous; you really need food from all of the different food groups to live a healthy lifestyle. Yes, it does sound like a great idea, no carbs means less insulin, but our bodies don’t work like that. So I would recommend a well balanced meal that does include carbs, but not like a lot of them, and definitely fruits. Because fruit is good.” He shut up then, embarrassed at what all he had said. A couple of the members burst out in applause, but Heather just glared at him. He was so glad when the session was over, and he could escape.

He stepped out of the hospital’s doors wondering where Jack was lurking this time. After his first support group meeting, Jack had scared the living daylights out of him by appearing out of seemingly nowhere, after the second time Mac got used to Jack being somewhere. So when he fell into step today, it was no surprise. “So how did it go today? The two she wolves go at it again?” Jack made wolf puppets with his hands and pantomimed them attacking each other.

“Of course. Think Matty will let me off, all I’m getting from these meetings is a headache, and she did say we would discuss me going back in the field in a month.” Mac mused.

“And let me guess, today is a month?” Jack asked wryly. Mac just nodded and kept walking to his Jeep. Jack stepped in front of Mac and turned around to walk backwards so that he could face Mac. “Is that big brain of yours trying to figure out a plan to get us back in the field? If it is, let me in on it brother because I’m about to go loco.” He circled his finger around his ear the crazy motion.

Mac laughed at Jack’s antics, “It’s not so much a plan, but to show Matty that I am ready for the field again. I feel great! I’ve been keeping my blood sugars stable. Even the doctor was impressed at my check-up last week! I didn’t think I would miss the field work, but being stuck in the lab all the time has made me miss it. Talk about the grass being greener.”

Upon arriving at the Phoenix Foundation Mac went straight to Matty’s office. Before he had a chance to even knock Matty called out, “Just come on in Blondie, and have a seat.” He did as instructed, as soon as he was settled Matty asked, “So tell me why you should be allowed back in the field.”

Mac started off with, “Well, a bored Jack is a destructive Jack.”

Matty rolled her eyes, “Don’t I know it. That man knows how to get into more trouble than anyone else I know.” She paused for a second eyeing Mac. “Well almost anyone. Continue.”

“The bionic pancreas seems to be doing well. It’s been keeping my blood sugars regulated.” At first Mac wanted to try the shots, but it was annoying to have to get a shot every single time he ate. So he quickly decided that he wanted to try the new technology, and it had been great. “I’ve only had a couple of lows.” The first time he went low he was with Jack at a local mall getting Jack a new cell phone. He had started feeling funny, and checked his blood at Jack’s urging, it blew his mind when the meter read 43. Jack had almost dragged Mac down the food court and deposited him in a chair while he had went to get Mac some ‘real’ food, and not just the glucose tablets. “Dr. Feltman is impressed at what he is seeing, and he is willing to sign off on that. So the only thing holding me back is the support group, and I’m not getting anything from them. Mostly it is two of the ladies fighting about whether or not the Keto diet is a good idea or not.”

Matty nodded her head, and looked over some files she had on her desk. “Ok, I am willing to let you go back in the field and get Dalton out of my hair. But first I’m going to give you a milk run. You do good with it, and you’re all set. Also the group sessions aren’t a requirement anymore, but I would recommend finding one that you enjoy or at least tolerate, they can be a big help.” Mac knew he was grinning ear to ear. “Anything less than complete mission success, and your pretty little butt is going to be chained down in the lab. Do you understand me?”

When Matty talked like that, Mac had to fight the urge to jump up and salute her like he would have an officer in the Army. “Yes, ma’am.”

“All right. Go tell Dalton the good news. I bet he just happens to be somewhere in the vicinity of the door.” Matty opened the door to Jack standing just outside of it. She shot him a look.

“Oh, hey Boss! I just came to turn in these mission reports.” He handed her a couple of files.” She took the files let Mac exit, then firmly shut the door.

Jack looked expectantly at Mac. “Well?”

“As long as I don’t screw up the next mission, we’re back!” Mac announced with a big grin.

A couple of days later the team, minus Bozer who was busy in the lab making some masks for another upcoming op, was in the War Room for a briefing. “Blondie, I’m sending you and Jack on what should be an easy op, unless our friend Murphy and his law decide to pay a visit. You are to meet scientist Dr. Radek Nykl, in Trnava, Slovakia and escort him to the border town of Kittsee, Austria where he is to be handed off to another group. That is all the information we are provided, as it is a compartmentalized multi-organization op. So let’s make sure that our part runs smoothly. Riley, you’re going to stay here and help me run the op. You are wheels up in two hours.”

Mac couldn’t contain his grin, and just about skipped down to the lab to gather the supplies he would need for their mission, and by supplies he meant diabetic supplies. Everything else he would do as he usually did and find when he got there. Bozer shook his head from his spot in the lab. “You are like vibrating, you are so excited. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this excited about anything!”

Mac tried to calm down, “Sorry Boze, I’m just ready for life to go back to some sort of normal and this was the last piece. “ He double checked to make sure he had all the supplies he needed an a spare or two, a quick look at his watch confirmed that it was time to meet Jack so they could head to the airport.

The flight felt like it was over in no time, and soon they were sitting at the coordinates where they were to meet Dr. Radek Nykl. When he hadn’t shown five minutes after their appointed time Jack worriedly looked around. “My spidey senses are tingling. Something’s up.” He took one look around the parking lot at a local park one more time, then tapping his earpiece, “Matty, I think… hang on.”

Mac saw the car speeding towards them too. The car screeched to a halt and a man and woman scrambled out with two suitcases each. The man approached Jack’s side and in accented English gave the code phrase, “Ducks fly together.” Jack unlocked the SUV and both the people scrambled in.

Jack turned to their guests, “I thought this was a singles trip. Who’s the chick?”

Dr. Nykl said, “She is girlfriend. If she not go, I not go.”

Jack touched his earpiece, “Did you hear that Matty?”

Riley answered, “She did, now she’s making some phone calls, hold on.”

Mac turned around and smiled at the couple. “My name is Mac, we’re here to get you safely to the next stop.”

The woman spoke up, “Thanks be to you. I is Monika.”

Matty come over the line, “Bring them both, I got the approval.”

Just then Mac heard sirens. “Jack, do you hear that?” Jack just nodded and started the vehicle. Mac turned around to face their guests, “I’m going to need you both to get as close to the ground as possible. Dr. Nykl did you tell anybody you were leaving?”

The scientist shook his head, but Monika spoke up, “I tell Mother bye.” Dr. Nykl then lashed out at her in their native language and she began to cry.

Jack looked back at them, “Don’t do that! It’s done, let’s just get ya’ll out of here and into safety ok?”

That got nods from both of them. The police car they had heard earlier slowly pulled into the parking lot just as they were pulling out. “I’m not sure if he suspects us or not, but you might want to start whipping something up there pal.” Jack told MacGyver.

Mac looked around, and started gathering the supplies he would need, they were making good time down the road when the sound of the siren once again reached them.

“Crap, I’m going to pull over when it gets near us, so that we look innocent, but once you have whatever that is ready let me know.” Jack murmured to Mac all the while keeping his eyes on the road and sounding calm, despite his white knuckled grip on the steering wheel giving him away.

Jack did exactly as he said he would and pretty soon the police car was right behind him. “Jack, I need your phone.”

Jack threw Mac a glare, “Why can’t you…” He trailed off remember Mac couldn’t use his phone because it controlled his pump and CGM. With a growl he handed it over. “I’m starting to think that maybe you gave yourself diabetes so that you would never have to use your own phone.”

Mac looked at his friend and wondered, did he ever think before he spoke. “It’s ready.”

Jack looked in the rearview. “Ok wait until he has opened the car door before you do whatever it is that you’re doing.”

Mac held the bottle carefully, “Hopefully this will melt his engine, but I have to be careful not to shake it until right before I throw it.”

The two men were watching the officer carefully, with the couple huddled in the back floorboard. “Now!” Jack shouted.

Mac opened his door and leaned out enough to pitch the bottle right on top of the Police car. It landed perfectly on top of the car; soon the hood of the cruiser was smoking and melting.

Jack floored it, spraying rocks and dirt everywhere. Despite hearing sirens a couple of times, they were able to safely make it across the border and to their rendezvous on time. The next team was waiting. The hand-off went seamlessly.

Driving off from drop-off Matty come over their comms, “It’s good to have you back.”

Mac and Jack bumped knuckles; it was good to be back!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for sticking with me through this story! As a bit of shameless self promotion, be on the look out for my next story;
> 
> 'Operation: Girlfriend' Since Mac can’t seem to take care of himself. Jack and Bozer appoint themselves as his personal matchmakers, and vow to find him a girlfriend to help him take care of himself. Let's just say that things to go as planned.


End file.
